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Yerevan—After taking part in a lively debate at Liberty Square—the finale of the town hall series, led today by Heritage parliamentary leader Ruben Hakobyan and intellectual Suren Zolyan—Raffi K. Hovannisian applauded “this unprecedented ten-day public brainstorm” and pledged to give his summary opinion in the near future.

The U.S. Embassy cables released by WikiLeaks provide invaluable information and insight on how American diplomats assess the inner workings of Armenia’s politics in general, and key players like Raffi Hovannisian in particular. As embassy officials grappled to absorb the day-to-day politics of the country, time and again they voiced their agreement with Hovannisian’s assessment of the political landscape in the country. They often judged him—the leader of the often sole opposition faction in parliament—to be a politician of a different breed, the exception among the “traditional” opposition politicians. However, they generally frowned upon his foreign policy views, which they attributed to his diaspora background.

Yerevan—On the eighteenth day of his hunger strike, Raffi K. Hovannisian appeared strong and healthy as ever, as he answered questions during a press conference and later participated in the public discussions taking place at Liberty Square.

Yerevan—On the seventeenth day of his hunger strike at Liberty Square, Raffi K. Hovannisian presided over the latest in a series of public forums, an ongoing dialogue of political leaders, intellectuals, and activists. The discussions today were led by Petros Makeyan and Manvel Gasparyan, whose parties—Democratic Fatherland and Democratic Way, respectively—have joined the historic Barev Yerevan coalition, which will contest the municipal elections to take place in the capital on May 5.